Part 2
Last week we heard from two very talented actors about how they use twitter, and today we will hear from three more. As we know acting is about networking, talking, sharing, attending, working and planning and twitter provides just one more piece of armour to help you do that and stay on your A-game for acting. Let’s hear how Lisa-Marie Long, Jamie Fishback and Carter Mason make it work for them.
Lisa-Marie Long is our very own local London poker hero, presenter and actor. She is doing great things everywhere and can tweet like a champion day or night to her 1500+ followers.
“When my super talented and inspirationally motivated friend (Yes, that’s YOU Angela) asked if I’d write a few words about how I use Twitter with regards to networking, I immediately said yes. Then I thought about it and realised that if I AM good at networking on Twitter it’s entirely unintentional. And if that’s the case then it seems to work for me.
But whether or not I should be advising anyone else? Well, in truth I can’t. I can only really tell you what keeps me on twitter… And mostly it’s knowing that at any one time there are at least a handful of people that I enjoy chatting to and laughing with enough that I would miss them if they weren’t there. Some of them are friends in ‘real’ life and some of them I hope to one day meet and share a cheeky drink with. Others are just delightful interludes into my day to day life.
It’s not like I’m not busy or that I’m SUPER motivated but I was always that annoying kid at school that once I knew you (and had got over my PAINFUL shyness)… Would always ask.. ‘What are you doing?’, ‘What are you talking about?’, ‘What does that mean?’. I like people. I’m curious about them and how and why each one is unique and challenging and can inspire new and interesting thoughts and questions in my head. I’m an inherently curious individual. I like to know how things tick.
And in truth.. I like to give my opinion. And, I’ll admit it. I think I’m clever. I like to show people how clever, funny, witty etc etc I am.. Not in an ‘in your face’ kind of way but in a ‘hey I have a personality here too you know’ kind of way. An interesting insecurity that arises from being sidelined as a marginally attractive female.
On Twitter, as in life.. I am drawn to people I want to learn from. Whether it’s because they have a personal or professional trait I admire or just because they make me smile. My actions are always the same. I follow.. I listen… Then if something relates to me I’ll reply.
The bottom line is that if someone is on Twitter.. It’s because:
1, They like talking about themselves. And probably talking in general.
2, They like the thought that someone somewhere is listening
3, Every now and then they need a little virtual escape.
The 3rd one is the most important. Most industry professionals you will meet on Twitter will go to twitter for a breather from their work. This is where you come in.
I like to make friends.. not contacts. Simply because I like to connect with people and MAN do I like to talk.. Twitter got interesting for me when I stopped just ‘tweeting’ and started conversing.
However.. The one thing that can make a complete stranger suddenly become the least interesting person on the planet is when, without so much as a ‘how do you do?’ they are transparent in wanting something from you. BORING.
Now of course we all want things from other people. But nobody wants to feel like they are being used.
I once had a girl dm me saying “Hi I’m auditioning for a job at such and such where you work.. Could you tell me what you did to get the job?”
My first reaction was to block her. I researched my ARSE off when I did my audition. Watched the show a million times and made sure I knew what would be expected and what I could bring to the programme.
I didn’t block her in the end. I just told her to watch the show. It wasn’t her request.. It was her approach. If she’d started off replying to an occasional stupid tweet (Most of my tweets are entirely idiotic and based around food and the immense joy I get from eating it), even just saying ‘Good morning’ back to me occasionally.. You know.. getting to know each other like we do in real life.. I would have felt a connection and probably offered to coach her personally as I have done for friends in the past who have shown an interest in what I do and wanted to give it a go.. Even if that meant they were then direct competition. I’ve also happily shared around jobs with friends and colleagues on many occasions because I don’t consider THEM the competition.
As it was the message I got was “You can do this for me.. and on top of that I want YOUR job too’.
Now I’m not saying this is how it is for everyone. Just how it is for me. So I’m extremely sensitive to making others feel that way and as such try to keep opening tweets with people I want to connect with polite, friendly and centered on them, our mutual interests and whatever they have been talking about. Even if our views are vastly different. It’s not a conscious thing, just something I do because that’s what I respond best to.
Ironically the key component when it comes to the art of being heard.. Is being a good listener.”
Jamie is all over the TV in LA as you can see from his IMDB link. He is savvy, professional and brilliant on twitter and has nearly 2000 followers (probably will have by the time you read this):
“I’ve been using twitter for almost 3 years now, and I have been
extremely blessed with it helping further my career as an actor. It has lead me to relationships with numerous casting directors,
directors, producers, and actors that I would have never met otherwise.Through this journey, I’ve had people ask me what it is that I do on
twitter, well, this is what I’ve come up with:People want to know that you’re going to be fun to work with, genuine,
and above all professional (i.e not an asshat). So, I do talk about my acting, talk about when I have an audition, how it went, if I’m burnt out, etc. I mean, who doesn’t love a cheer leading squad when you’re burnt out, get a callback, get put on avail., or even better, book a job! But, with that said, I find that just being personable, friendly, and supportive with others successes is what has garnered the friendships that I have now.Don’t misunderstand me, these relationships didn’t happen over night.
They have developed over years, some of them since the beginning of me being on twitter, and are only now coming to fruition. That also means that I have not used and abused the people that I have met (which in the long run can do much more harm than you’d realize). The casting directors don’t see me as the “please call me in” or desperate
type — really, what good would that do? They see me as a person that they’d like to work with, are happy for me when I succeed, and want to support me along this journey.”
Carter Mason is a filmmaker in Redondo Beach, CA who also owns and operates the Carter Mason Group ( http://www.cartermasongroup.com/ ) which specializes in providing high quality legal and business consulting services for filmmakers and business owners.
“I started on twitter as a whim after being encouraged by a friend. I’ve done internet marketing as a business, and I stay on top of trends and at least understand the newest technologies. I learned early on with Twitter, that if somebody just promotes their business and doesn’t share personal details, Twitter is not very effective. Sometimes, I share too much information, to be honest, but that is part of the fun for me. About 75% of my new business comes from Twitter-related referrals. That doesn’t mean I meet them directly on Twitter (sometimes, but not always), but it means somebody I met on Twitter referred me to somebody. I have made many friends and business associates by using Twitter effectively.
I think the key to effectively using Twitter is to find ways you can help others. Retweet when somebody asks for help, connect those you know would work well together or meet each others needs, and find ways to make contributions to the communities you’re connected to via Twitter. And one last tip: absolutely spend less than 5% of your tweets promoting your projects or your business. If you aren’t willing to take the time to share personal stuff and help others, you will find Twitter to be a complete waste of time and quite possibly detrimental to your business.
Once, somebody in my line of work proclaimed, “I have 8,000 followers, and I’ve never gained a client from Twitter!” At the time, I had about 1,000 followers and told him more than half of my business comes from Twitter. Analysis of his tweets showed all he did was promote himself. In my opinion, you should focus on creating good will in the Twitter community and you will naturally gain followers. If your main focus is just to gain followers, you will be much less effective.”
Well that’s it for this weeks twitter updates. Get tweeting peeps. You’re a B.A.B.E.
Nice..Love it Ang..
Aren't they a talent! Thanks for the comment.
Love this blog! Not only because it's featuring 3 of my favorite Twitter people and hosted by another fave, but because it's neat to hear a more-than-140-character description of what Twitter means to them. Some especially awesome tips:
"I like to make friends, not contacts." So wonderful, Lisa-Marie! It makes such a impact, and we on the other end of your tweets can tell the difference. Also, you constantly make me want Cheesy Balls, and that's always a plus with me.
"… these relationships didn't happen overnight" – Truth, Jamie! I have people come to coach with me and say, "I have a show opening in a month, and I'm thinking I should start a Twitter account to get people to the show." I take a deep breath… and then explain carefully what Twitter is REALLY about.
"Sometimes I share too much information…" I can attest to this, Carter (ha!) and I LOVE it. I'd much rather give my business (or support) to someone who I have a connection with, and I admire the courage it takes to lay claim your personality and share it with others.
Bravo! 🙂
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